Weaving melodies: End 2024 on a musical note with this qawwali and khayal concert in Mumbai

Anutosh Degharia (left) and Vivek Anand (right) during a previous performance

With the year coming to a close and a general feeling of nostalgia permeating conversations, it seems only right to bid farewell with a feel-good concert. A qawwali and khayal concert organised by Kala Ghoda-based gallery ARTISANS', will feature a musical performance by Hindustani classical and sufi singer Vivek Anand with Anutosh Degharia and Shrinivas Acharya on tabla and harmonium as part of the textile exhibition on Kashmiri and Persian weaves.

Radhi Parekh, the founder of the gallery, tells us, "The concert is a part of our exhibition, Cocoon, which seeks to bring together a fine selection of pashmina shawls and antique Persian rugs by Kashmiri entrepreneur Akeel Hussain Mir and his wife, Charlotte Kaufman. Their collection features a variety of pashmina shawls and stoles in wool sourced from the highlands of Ladakh in an extremely light, hand spun weave. And since this particular material and weave has a long association with Kashmir and Central Asia, we wanted to do something that relates to the culture and spirit of that region as well."

(From left to right) Anutosh Degharia, Vivek Anand and Shrinivas Acharya

The concert, titled Woven Prayers, will feature a medley of songs by Anand that will touch upon various forms of musical performances in South Asia. "I have planned quite a lot of songs for the session actually. Just like the materials on exhibition, my idea is also to sort of weave together various types of South Asian music including qawwali and khayal, that will not only talk about spiritual traditions but also humanistic ones," he explains to us over a call.

The concert will also pay homage to the spiritual culture of Kashmir. "The concert will typically start with a qawwali, called hamd, that invokes the divine, and then I will go on with to sing the na'at, which are songs in praise of Prophet Mohammed. It is said that the Hazratbal Shrine in Kashmir has a strand of hair from the Prophet's beard, and I thought it would be a good way to respect Kashmiri culture with such songs. Then, there is obviously khayal, which are slow classical Hindustani music compositions," Anand adds. One of the themes that he seeks to explore in his performance focuses on exploring water as a spiritual element. "I have been thinking about the metaphor of the journey across water bodies in many South Asian compositions. Songs like Ab mori naiyya and a lot of other tracks constantly refer to a spiritual journey which ends in complete surrender to the divine. And since Kashmir has so many rivers, the songs will be an offering to the people of the state as well. I will also be singing a Koli song, Mi dolkara to honour the fisherman community of Mumbai," Anand reveals.

A Persian qashkai runner

The hour-long concert will explore the nuances of South-Asian music sans religion and borders to highlight the shared humanity across cultures. "In an increasingly polarised world, it is important to remember the humanity that we all share. With this concert, we are ending the year with a feeling of fellowship and starting the new one with hopes and prayers," Parekh summarises.

ON December 31; 11.30 am onwards
AT ARTISANS', Forbes Street, Kala Ghoda, Fort.
LOG ON TO @artisanscentre on Instagram
ENTRY RSVP mandatory